RWBYDUB
by HAPPEHFUNTIEMS
Summary: Ruby Rose is ROSEBUD, up-and-coming EDM/DnB/dubstep/whatever artist of growing internet fame. She doesn't think her music is that great, really, but it's enough to bring Ruby, Yang, Weiss and Blake on a crash-course to becoming what will certainly be one of the most awesome EDM groups Vytal's ever known. (Modern!AU. No Grimm, no problem!)
1. Track 1 - The Cat and the Roses

_**[Author's Note: I didn't intend for this to surpass, like, 500 words max. It reached 3,363. WELP.]**_

RWBYDUB

\- - _A-side_

"That was a good session, Weiss. You put lots of passion in, that's for sure."

Weiss looked up from where she was carefully putting her music sheets into her folder, sliding each carefully away to make sure they stayed pristine and the corners didn't fold. Her teacher, Miss Weber, was lowering the lid to the piano carefully, before smiling to the teenager.

"Your father mentioned getting you to do a performance for the next big dinner he's having. Do you have any song in mind?"

Weiss hadn't heard anything about it. "Oh. No, not yet."

The music room became silent again, the large space seeming eerie after Weiss' singing had filled it for a while. It was a very large room, but very empty, featuring only the piano. The walls and floor were all a pristine white and clear of clutter, the southern wall was curved into a bay and consisting mostly of only large windows at least twice Weiss' short size. The glass door in the centre of the wall that led into the massive back garden was wide open to let fresh air in, the summer sun making the room bright, and somewhere outside softly rang wind chimes. It was one of the more beautiful days of the year, that was for certain. Trust Weiss to spend it inside singing.

Once Weiss was packed up to return her music to her room, Miss Weber placed a hand gently on the girl's shoulder just before Weiss could silently slip out into the hallway.

"You have a good voice, Weiss. If you'd ever like to get it heard, I'd be more than willing to find some people who'd love to work with you. A career in music, in singing, is always available."

Miss Weber's voice was kind, eyes dark yet alight with hope, but Weiss only made a small smile and gently shrugged her off.

"I'll think about it. It's… it's mostly only a hobby, of course."

The light died in Miss Weber's eyes, but she kept her composure, nodding and stepping away.

"Yes, of course. See you next week, Weiss."

Weiss exited the room into the hallway, closing it behind her without a sound. The hallway was empty, light and clean, but as Weiss turned off to the right to make her way to her room, heavy footsteps were approaching from some other nearby corridor. Hurrying a little, Weiss wondering idly if she could reach the stairs before she was intercepte-

As she turned a corner to the left, she was blocked by a figure far wider and taller than she. Dressed in white and blue, his suit as immaculate as the rest of the mansion, Weiss' father looked down with visible surprise as he took his daughter's shoulders to stop her barreling into him, stopping her in her tracks.

"Weiss! I was just about to come find you."

"And I you." Weiss lied, stepping back once her father let her go. Hugging the folder close to her, Weiss found sudden interest in an old painting that hung from the wall just behind her father. "I finished for today. Miss Weber said it was a good session."

"I heard, actually. Some of those notes managed to reach my office. I was just going to tell you about the dinner we're having next week. I was wondering if you'd do us the honour of performing before dinner? It would give them quite a treat."

Perhaps as a child Weiss would have been eager to do so - to perform for some of the biggest CEO's in Vale, if not all of Vytal? A dream, once.

Nowadays, not so much.

Weiss hid a cringe, squeezing her folder until it began to bend. "Uh, I'll… think about it. I'd like to write something of my own if I can. It's been a while since I've written anything." Lies, lies, lies. The folder she held was bursting with songs she'd penned. Still, her father simply nodded, either not noticing or simply ignoring the tightness in her voice.

"Of course." He added nothing more, so Weiss bobbed her head and slipped past him, trying not to dash for the stairs, until her father's voice called after her.

"But Weiss?" She froze, turning her head just a little. Her father watched her, arms now crossed, eyes a little harder.

"I'd like for you to be there and sing. These are some very important people, and impressing them is important."

Trying not to obviously glance around the hallway to eye the expensive paintings, nor comment on the ancient, massive mansion and the acres of land it stood on being more than enough to impress, Weiss bobbed her head once more, and then walked briskly along the corridor and away from the looming figure of her father.

Once she passed a few doors down, her father's footsteps leading him away to somewhere else, Weiss stopped before another white, closet-like door. Pulling it open led to a tiny staircase wide enough only for one, and Weiss shut the door behind and slipped away upstairs, thankful for the countless hidden passages making her invisible.

Once she appeared upstairs, her bedroom was just beside the door to the stairs, so once the door was shut and stairs hidden from anyone who didn't know the mansion, Weiss opened her bedroom door - white, again, but with her name on a little plaque to differentiate her door from Winter's across the corridor. Winter's bedroom was silent, the twin having gone off to some trip abroad to 'broaden her horizons', and Weiss was glad for it. It made the place quieter, for sure.

Weiss' bedroom was quiet too, once the teenager entered. Just like most of her family the place was neat, desk organised, several bookcases ordered carefully, bed made and her own window wide open, the juliet balcony painted silver. Weiss placed her folder on her shelf above her desk, and then sat at het desk and opened her laptop, minimising several windows set to news pages before opening up VideoMe and typing in with rapid keystrokes 'ROSEBUD - Happier Days'.

When she found ROSEBUD's official page link, she opened it up and then slid on her headphones, resting back in her chair and heading back to the news headlines, bobbing her head to the deep, bass-driven beat that began, before soft lyrics began to start up as her eyes scanned an article headed with 'Faunus Demonstration in Downtown Vale Results in 3 Arrested'.

 _You and I, happier days… You and I, sunnier days…_

"You and I, you and I…" Weiss sang softly, under her breath, the lyrics fading away to be replaced by bass once more, the beat of drums building up and taking the forefront of the song. If Weiss had a proper subwoofer the floor would be shaken, but she had to deal with just what her headphone could handle, the drums really speeding up now as the singer's voice returned, the time between lines now less.

"You and I, happier days, you and I, sunnier days. You and I, you and I, you and I in those happier days." Weiss let her voice pick up, the slightly shaky voice of the singer replaced by her more powerful notes, bringing forth the sorrowful notes, the bass and drums falling silent on those last notes before they returned even louder, the slow song suddenly booming in her ears, and Weiss rolled her chair back, bouncing in her seat as the song reached its peak…

"Jesus, what was I thinking?!"

Ruby took her headphones off and let them fall hard on her desk, slumping down across her desk. 'Happier Days' played on VideoMe, underlined with thousands of comments, but Ruby wasn't reading a single one. Instead, she paused the video and groaned again, Yang popping her head through the open bedroom door.

"What is it, Rubes?" Yang entered the room and carefully moved around several articles of dumped clothing, knocking her knee into a wobbly shelving unit by Ruby's wide desk and grabbing a figurine that fell from the top. Ruby didn't even look up at her, rubbing her face against the cheap wood, wishing she could grind her face into non-existence.

"You won't get it - you love this song."

"Happier Days? Hell _yes_ I love it!" Yang slapped a hand on Ruby's shoulder and cringed as Ruby's face was pushed further into the desk, the keyboard jumping a little out of of place. "It's one of your best, Rubes, for sure."

Ruby moved her head just enough to stare dead-eyed at her exuberant sister, groaning again.

"It's so _boring._ It's literally four minutes of the same beat and my awful singing."

"Hey, you can- Oh my God we are not having this conversation again. You sing great! And wasn't my drum beat good enough for you?" Yang looked wounded, and Ruby sat up at once, rolling her chair back and cursing when a discarded bottle crunched beneath the wheels.

"It's was good! It was really, really good, but I didn't do anything with it! And now it has like, five thousand views and it's just _really bad Yang-_ "

Yang leaned over the desk and squinted at the page. True to her word, the video had five thousand views, as well as a huge list of comments ranging from 'Man, this track was so awesome!' or 'sounds like that other song by cinder fall lmao', but Yang noticed the upload date and nearly choked.

"It's got five thousand views and you uploaded this like two days ago?! What the Hell, Ruby, that's so fast!"

Ruby's grey eyes blinked owlishly, but then she slumped back in her chair. "Yeah, well it only means I embarrassed myself faster than usual. Dammit, I shouldn't have uploaded it…"

As Ruby looked back at the monitor, Yang gaped and tried to find words to explain that _hot damn Ruby you got five thousand views in two days like some sort of celebrity do you not understand what the actual hell?_ but after a few seconds of making odd choked sounds, the older teenager made a face and shrugged.

"Well, it seems five thousand viewers disagree with you there, but okay." Turning on her heel, Yang dodged over some old socks and swung out of the room without another word, feet thudding down the hallway.

Leaning back again, Ruby looked about her room. It was in its usual state of a complete disaster - she needed to do her laundry, half her clothes scattered about the room where most had fallen off the top of the pile and been kicked about, and a mixture of books, trash and hundreds of cables formed quite the trap. She'd learned where to place to feet as to not end up on the floor with the rest of it, but for the most part she hadn't a damn clue where the carpet had gone. Her walls were a similar affair, if only with posters - games, bands, books, movies… if it was in her interests and had sold a poster at any time, chances were it was pinned to her wall, hiding the bright red paint in a myriad of colours. Ruby wished some of her favourite musicians on VideoMe also sold posters to fill in the walls with more obscure names. She sold her own so at least that need was fulfilled with her own fans, but other musicians seemed less eager with their own merchandise.

Although right now Ruby wanted nothing more than for all of ROSEBUD's fans to magically forget 'Happier Days' had ever happened. Sure, her fans seemed to like it, but she could have done so much better, so much more, if only she hadn't uploaded it at three in the morning…

With a sigh, Ruby tugged at her shirt and scooted closer to her desk, bringing up her music software. Maybe if she finished another song she'd been working on, they'd focus on that more and 'Happier Days' could fade into obscurity. Or maybe she could do her own remix, or something.

 _I'd be down to do a remix of this track. It has lots of potential._

Blake sat in their bedroom, listening 'Happier Days' once more. It was a good track and could've easily made Blake's playlist for work, but Blake also heard enough opportunity that their cursor was hanging over their audio software, wavering with indecision. Launching into a new project hadn't been in their plans, but Blake felt the need to at least play around with the song and ignoring it wasn't something they did often.

 _Two hours. If I make something that starts sounding halfway decent then I'll run with it._

Resigning themselves to this fate, Blake opened up their software and headed back to the internet, looking in the video description for a link to pay or download the song. There was one - a free download to boot. Heading to the page, Blake heard a knock on their door and grunted wordlessly as they worked.

"Blake?" Velvet's voice was soft through the door. "Coco and I are heading out for a bit!"

Blake made another grunt as the file began to download, and they cursed at the slow speed. It always slowed down about the afternoon, especially on weekends.

"I'll see you later!" Their flatmate called once more, and then there was shuffling about for a bit before the front door opened and closed, the flat turning silent.

Watching the download bar slowly fill, Blake rubbed at their eyes. The room was dark, the light turned off and curtains drawn. They'd been that way when Blake had rolled out of bed and they hadn't seen a need to change it, even if Velvet fretted over a vitamin D deficiency or something. Perhaps it didn't help that the walls, floor and almost all of Blake's furniture was dark - whether paint, carpet or wood - but they couldn't afford to change any of it around, so what they'd had as a moody pre-teenager had come with them as a moody teenager. Not that Blake minded overall. Perhaps it was what encouraged their music to take on generally deeper, darker tones.

The download pinged with confirmation of its end, and Blake was quick in opening it up for editing. They weren't sure which direction to take it, not totally, not yet, but firstly they were _all_ about ripping those vocals out and giving them a bit of separate editing. Then, maybe add in something new? Blake could imagine it with piano when the bass and drums dropped off, if they removed the vocals… and whilst the bassline was good, Blake could shift the whole feel if it were edited, if not outright replaced. Eyeing up the double bass in the corner, Blake looked over the song. So much potential…

Grabbing their headphones, Blake started their work.

\- - _B-side_

As Weiss looked out the windows of the music room, Miss Weber approached and looked also. The day was clear again, the temperature rising, and with a careful choice of words Miss Weber spoke.

"So, how did the performance at dinner go?"

Weiss didn't say anything, browsing through her phone as she thought, and then shrugged.

"I think the guests liked it, but I think my father would have liked it more if it hadn't been my own song."

Miss Weber nodded once, watching a bird flit into the thick branches of the old oak that grew at the end of the garden. "I see. I'm sure it was very good - your music tends to be excellent. Same time next week?"

Weiss didn't move for a while after Miss Weber had packed up and left, instead opting to sit at the piano and browse her phone, mind thinking mostly of the dinner.

 _"_ _Weiss, was that really the best you could do?"_

 _"_ _They seemed to like it."_

 _"_ _I've heard you do much better. Maybe next time, hm?"_

Gritting her teeth, Weiss opened the VideoMe app and scrolled through the 'Most Popular'. It had been a few weeks since 'Happier Days' had stood on top, but now it had disappeared into the abyss-

Except that it had returned. Slightly differently, for sure, but it had returned. 'Happier Days (Tapetum Lucidum Remix)'. Weiss wasn't sure she believed her eyes.

It didn't take long for her to run to her room, slamming the door tightly shut and heading for her laptop, opening VideoMe faster than she'd ever done before and finding the 'Most Popular' list again. The video had remained, uploaded by _the_ Tapetum Lucidum themselves, who was also one of Weiss favourite artists. Their remixes were nothing to sniff at. Weiss didn't even bother with her headphones, opting to play it through the speakers.

When the last notes of the remix ended, when Weiss sat braced in her chair, there was only one thing to say.

"I'm honestly offended at this talent."

Ruby looked to Yang, eyes so wide they were starting to brim with tears.

"I _know,_ right?! Oh man, oh man, I can't believe Tapetum Lucidum remixed _my_ shitty song! And they made it so much better, holy shit, oh man I can die happy now. Jesus Christ I'm _dead,_ Yang, I'm _dead_."

Ignoring her sister's hysterics, Yang looked at the video once more. There it was, on Tapetum Ludicdum's page like any other regular upload. Even Yang, who personally preferred her more band-oriented music than the EDM and drum'n'bass Ruby liked, knew who they were. TL had remixed many a song, bringing out depths unknown to the most shallow of tracks, or managing to change genres like an art. They were also known for having back-and-forths with creators, remixing a song before the creator remixed it back, and then they would remix it again until the end result was similar but also entirely different. TL were talented, dangerously so. And they'd remixed Ruby's song in a matter of weeks into something so amazing even Yang was having trouble expressing her awe.

"Damn, Ruby! Lookachu, suddenly playing with the big boys!"

Ruby was bouncing around the room, flitting around so fast Yang could miss her movements in a blink. She'd started at the desk, then was rolling across her bed, making trash angels on the floor and then back to her computer again, scrolling the comments and reading the description with glee.

"Look what they wrote Yang _look what they wrote._ "

Indeed, beneath the video was a short, sweet message:

'The original version of this was pretty cool to listen to, so like most of my favourite songs I wanted to give it a bit of my own flair and play around with it. Hope you enjoy this remix.'

It was a very simple comment, one Yang didn't think sounded too excited, but if you looked at Ruby it may as well have said 'This is now my all time favourite song and this remix is a personal, direct gift to ROSEBUD. I love you.' Still, if Yang had had her music commented on my one of her favourite artists, then she'd probably be just as excited too.

"Feel differently about 'Happier Days' now?" Yang couldn't help but ask with a sly smile, and Ruby stopped bouncing.

"Well… okay, maybe it wasn't _as bad_ as I thought but it's _still_ not one of my better ones. Happy?"

Yang shrugged, and then leaned over Ruby again, listening as Ruby played the song once more.

"If you are, Rubes."

\- - _Bonus Track_

As Blake scrolled through the comments, they paused for a second and scrolled back up. Suddenly a new comment had popped up, garnering enough thumbs up to pin it to the top.

'ROSEBUD: oh man thanks for remixing my song! its so cool and im glad you liked it ;u;'

Gulping down a hot mouthful of tea, Blake laughed loudly enough that they could hear Velvet asking 'what are they laughing at now?' from their kitchen. Leaning forwards, they opened a new private message to ROSEBUD and titled it 'Wanna collab sometime?'

Blake had a new project in mind.


	2. Track 2 - Northern Winds

RWBYDUB2

Ruby didn't believe her eyes when she saw the email sitting in her inbox. She didn't believe it when she read it again, or again, or again. In fact, even as she burst from her room and tore down the corridor, throwing herself into Yang's bedroom door with all the force her tiny stature could manage, she still wasn't entirely sure she wasn't in a dream.

"Yaaaaaaang! _Yang_!"

Meanwhile, Yang had been trying to tidy up her bookshelves, attempting to place her many tomes of guides, manuals and the odd splash of fiction in some sort of alphabetical order. With music blaring loud and morning sunlight warm through her window, she wasn't paying much attention to anything until her room shook wildly and there was a quiet screaming just managing to seep through the cacophony of drums in her ears. Glancing over her shoulder she could see Ruby, leaning against her wall and gasping for breath, face glowing red, and she nearly dropped her stack of books in her arms out of panic.

"Ruby!" Throwing the books on her bed, Yang pulled the headphones off and let them hang around her neck, still booming. "What happened? Did you- what did you-" Mind whirring, Yang tried to think what happened the last time Ruby burst into her room screaming. "Did you set the oven on fire _again_? I swear that oven is a goddamn _fire hazard_ -"

"Yang, wh- no!" Ruby stared at her older sister incredulously before she shook her head fast enough for her hair to blur around her head, and Yang's broad shoulders slumped in confusion.

"Then… why did you try to take my door off the hinges?"

Ruby's head stopped long enough for silver eyes to shine brightly, and Ruby made a rapid series of motions over to her own bedroom door, making a bunch of words that didn't make any sense to Yang at all.

"The thing- I- an email- thingie- a _singer_ \- for our music-" There was then a long string of sounds and single syllables, and then Ruby stopped long enough to breathe. "Can you come and see this thing? Please?"

Yang looked over to look at the pile of books that were thrown across her bed, bright yellow blanket on the top reflecting the sunlight and glowing enough to make Yang have to squint at it. A few minutes to see what the excitement was about wouldn't be enough to completely distract her, hopefully. So, the older sister nodded and Ruby grinned, disappearing back out of her room as quickly as she'd appeared.

Not seconds later Yang rounded the corner into Ruby's bedroom and automatically winced as her shoe crunched something underfoot. Ruby's room was a disaster at all times - so much so that Yang had become adept at distracting the landlord enough to avoid him looking into the bombsite that was Ruby's room, floor so covered in random stuff that Yang couldn't actually recall what the carpet really looked like other than a mash of colours and textures. The walls were the same, more posters than one could think could fit, layered over the years in Ruby's music tastes. It ended up it was hard to focus on anything in there, eyes constantly looking over every detail, but it certainly suited Ruby. Besides, she could clean up real quick in a pinch anyway, so Yang figured it didn't matter.

The only clear space in the room was where Ruby's desk sat, just enough room for her chair to roll about when she was playing games or listening to music. Her music equipment took up most of her desk space, heavy and expensive and meticulously clean. Along with the pair of giant monitors and quite literal stack of speakers at either end, you didn't need to look too hard to see where all of her money went to.

However, as Yang moved closer with careful steps, it was at one of these monitors Ruby was pointing at wildly, her browser brought up with an email on screen.

"Look at this! It's insane, I can't _believe-_ "

Leaning over Ruby, Yang quickly scanned over the pair of paragraphs and frowned once she was done, leaning back only to have Ruby's grinning face appear in front of her again.

"Isn't it awesome?!"

Yang opened her mouth to speak, closed it again after a second though, and then winced in preparation for the explosion.

"Okay. Gonna be up front about this. Whooooooooo… is Weiss Schnee?"

When Ruby's face dropped Yang considered taking cover back in her room, but before her feet would move there was an explosion of words as Ruby suddenly appeared by her bedside table behind Yang, rooting through stacks of papers and cables as she spoke rapidly.

"You don't- who is- Weiss _Schnee?!_ Weiss does like, did like, covers for a ton of songs but they're _super limited_ in downloads and I can't believe I've never showed you… here, here, I have a ton on my- here it is!"

In another second Ruby was back her desk, jamming a usb stick into an available slot and opening up a bunch of music files. Some had names of the songs they were covering, but others just had 'song1' or 'song2', which Yang felt like might have been Ruby's own rapid naming on her behalf. Still, when Ruby went to play one there was nothing but silence, and the teenager cursed before going under her desk.

"Son of a- I unplugged my speakers 'cause I was playing about with my- where the Hell did the thingie go?" There was some rooting about before something was plugged in, and then music began to play loud and clear, a high, feminine voice singing strong over the music.

" _So I listen to my heart, this time around, and I won't let my own fears, bring me down… you're bringing me closer, closer to myself…"_

Yang recognised the song vaguely as something Ruby tended to play over the speakers sometimes, but the cover was good, Weiss' voice certainly giving the original a run for its money, voice holding out well against the rapid drums and deep bass tones that rumbled behind. It was excellent, and if the email really was the real thing, and Weiss really did…

"Huh. Pretty good." Before Ruby could burst from excitement again from the affirmation, Yang ruffled her thick head of hair and made for a swift exit over the junk, but not before leaning back and winking. "Sound like you're _still_ getting the attention of all the big kids now, huh?"

Once Yang was gone, Ruby pouted for a second before giggling to herself, spinning her chair back around as to re-read the email as the song continued over the speakers, still in awe of its contents.

 _Dear ROSEBUD,_

 _My name is Weiss Schnee (yes,_ _that_ _Schnee), and I'm a big fan of yours. I've been listening in regularly since you released 'Forever Fall' about two, three years ago now, and may I say that since then your production quality has only gotten better, and your recent collaborations with Tapetum Lucidum have been nothing short of amazing!_

Pausing her typing then, Weiss re-read what she'd written so far. She'd been feeling pretty, well, ballsy when she'd started, but now her nervousness was making a reappearance somewhere deep in her stomach. What she was going to ask to do would be a _disaster_ if her father ever found out ('that modern music is all garbage' etc. etc.) but she was willing to try anyway. Miss Weber was right - she needed to get out there, to _do_ things that wasn't singing at a corporate dinner if only to make her father look good.

So, with several deep breaths, Weiss looked at the worn keys of her keyboard and debated her next words.

 _However, I was curious if you wouldn't be interested in, perhaps, starting a few collaborations with me. I've noticed that what vocals you do feature are usually small parts, and, if this is due to you not having a dedicated vocalist, then perhaps I could fill this space. I've enclosed some links to some of my covers that feature DnB more heavily, and if this is to your tastes then perhaps we could begin to talk possibilities?_

 _I'm eager to hear back from you, and to hear more of your music in future._

 _Weiss Schnee._

By the time she'd finished reading the email again, Ruby had to go and get her pillow off her bed if only to be able to scream into it, feeling her throat ache from the single note that vibrated through the pillow. Weiss had always been this strange musical figure to Ruby, who sang so well but never seemed to do anything with it. And now, she was asking Ruby to collaborate with her! To do the thing with the music!

Although, by the time Yang returned minutes later, they'd both had the same, rather worrying, realisation.

"Yang?" Ruby timidly asked from behind her pillow as she read over the email again, Yang leaning against the door with a frown. "How should I tell Blake?"

It was a good question, and it was one Yang didn't have an answer to. Blake Belladonna - the real name of Tapetum Lucidum - was quite the mystery even behind the alias, but both girls could be sure of a few facts: firstly that Blake was a Faunus, and that they _really_ didn't like the Schnee family. And now here was Weiss, sending an email full of good intentions and accidentally maybe throwing a wrench into everything.

After a few minutes of quiet deliberation, Yang pitched the only idea she could think of.

"Might just wanna go for it, y'know? Maybe over coffee." Blake was usually in a considerably better mood with a hot drink in front of them. "But it's probably best to do it quickly."

Ruby thought about it for a moment, looking over her - admittedly narrow - choices, and then nodded once, grey eyes alight with new determination.

"Alright. Know any good coffee houses?"

Two hours later, both Blake and Ruby were sitting at The Porcelain Cup, an artsy sort of coffee house that both sisters had agreed would be more to Blake's tastes than Yang's initial suggestions. It sat not far from the docks, tucked away in a quiet corner that was far enough from the market that, even if the noise didn't carry, you still got to see all the colourful people rushing by to shop. The drinks were good too, Ruby's hot chocolate having been given quite a generous amount of marshmallow and Blake's strong black coffee having gone down smooth, according to the faunus. It was over these drinks Ruby had explained about the email and Weiss' request, and it was after these drinks that Blake came to a decision after a long time thinking.

"... Okay then. We'll try her out."

Ruby, who'd been sat with a wince permanently plastered to her face as she expected the oncoming rejection, felt her cheeks ache as her expression fell into one of surprise, eyebrows high enough to nearly reach her hairline.

"Okay? W- really?"

There was a second, and then Blake nodded, looking at the dregs in the bottom of their cup.

"I was gonna say no. You know. Because of everything." Then they sighed. "But why not? Let's take some risks, let's try new things - it's worked before. Just… if she turns out to be the racist asshole I'm _expecting_ , she's off. I'll drag her to the kerb myself."

"Well, I was going to say no. You know. Because of everything." Then they sighed. "Like, I wasn't even going to think about it. I can see already how it could be quite the recipe for disaster."

Ruby could see it too. Here was Blake, a Faunus who'd known the terrible racism and subjugation of their kind firsthand and knew of the darker face of the Schnee Power Company, had know for years and years from what Ruby had gathered. Then there was Weiss, child of the CEO who had perpetrated so many of those same crimes without a hint of remorse. Nobody knew what Weiss would do around Blake with that kind of upbringing - although Ruby was more concerned with what she _wouldn't_ do.

But Blake said nothing of this, insteading opting to push the white china cup further away from them before leaning back on the chair.

"And then I did think about it and... why not? Fuck it all, it's not like we can't throw her to the kerb if she is the racist asshole I'm expecting. Which I will, by the way."

The last words were spoke darkly, bitterness lacing their tone, but Ruby was too elated to care.

"Yeah! I mean, I would've done that anyway so don't even worry. But I think it'll be good! She sounded super sincere and I'm sure… it'll be okay…" Ruby's voice trailed off a little as Blake stared at her impassively, but then Blake smiled a little in response, scooting their chair out and standing before watching Ruby do the same.

"I'm sure it will be."

 _Dear Weiss Schnee,_

 _I'm so glad you've been enjoying my music and recent collaborations with TL! I was going to say 'I hope you enjoy our future music too', but Tapetum Lucidum and I spoke about it and we've decided that having you be part of our future music is a great idea!_

 _We'd love to meet with you and talk about future projects, so we were thinking if you'd like to meet up at The Porcelain Cup cafe on Dock Street? It's quiet and TL recommends the coffee greatly, so I figure it'd be a good place for us to go._

 _Hope to hear from you soon,_

 _ROSEBUD_

When Weiss read the email on her phone halfway through another singing session, the excited waver in her voice that persisted throughout even brought attention from Miss Weber, who ended up rounding the pristine piano to look Weiss over.

"You're not normally like this, Weiss. Did something happen?"

Nothing was said for a few moments as Weiss pocketed her phone, but then the teenager turned with a wide smile on her face.

"I might tell you, but don't tell father."

The implication came across clear, and Miss Weber smiled.

EXTRA

When they all met at the Porcelain Cup a week later, when Weiss cast her eyes on the pair, her first instinct was to stare.

When she'd left the Schnee estate, she'd tried to envision what the pair would look like. She knew little of ROSEBUD's true identity, even less for Tapetum Lucidum, and so when she tried to picture them in advance she was left blind. She'd hoped they'd be obvious enough that she wouldn't be left struggling to find them, even if the cafe itself was supposedly small, but when she walked along Dock street and looked over the chairs at the front, it turned out it would be easier - and more surprising - than ever anticipated.

ROSEBUD was the easier one to identify - the mix of red and black clothing and the sleeveless hoodie that proudly bore the word 'ROSEBUD' could perhaps make her seem just an avid fan, but the coincidence would have to be too great for that. A giant set of red headphones around the teenager's neck were blaring out loud enough to Weiss to hear it several paces away, and the drum beat that was rapped on the table's surface by flitting hands was too familiar. Meanwhile, the person next to them wore nearly all black, a shadow next to the energy next to them, sipping coffee slowly as they watched the beat play out on the table. Weiss didn't need to guess that it would be Tapetum Lucidum themselves, all stoic and quiet, but what took the Schnee by surprise even more was the ears that poked out from the top of a black beanie, two specially cut holes keeping their head warm whilst still proudly displaying their Faunus heritage. She's always assumed it a possibility - many a Faunus artist stayed anonymous, at least initially, to stop unwanted attention until the ball was really rolling - but to know it was true left her feeling a little dazed.

Well. This meeting would be quite the minefield.

Still, Weiss wasn't a quitter, and so she steeled herself and moved forwards, gently placing a hand on the empty chair in front of the pair before looking them over with a winning smile.

"Are you the two I've come to meet?"

ROSEBUD's face cracked into an eager grin, Tapetum Lucidum less so, but in the next moment ROSEBUD stood next to her, shaking her hand hard enough to pull it off.

"Hi! Wow, I can't believe you really came! I mean, I figured you would, but I've been convinced I've been dreaming since you sent me that email... anyway! I'm Ruby Rose, but you probably know me as ROSEBUD, right? And this is Tapetum Lucidum, but their name is-"

"Blake. Blake Belladonna."

The rush of words from ROSE- no, Ruby's mouth suddenly came to a dead stop when the other person spoke, standing from their chair to tower over Weiss. Weiss had never thought herself particularly short, but in the face of this 'Blake' she felt exceptionally tiny. Faunus ears flicked around, and Weiss tried to tear her eyes from them long enough to look into glowing amber eyes steadily.

"Blake. And Ruby. It's... good to meet you both." Trying to speak with Blake staring down was suddenly very difficult. "You know who I am."

Blake grinned sharply then, extending a hand out towards the newcomer with a laugh.

"Yeah, we do. But isn't it rude to not introduce yourself anyway?"

Feeling tension in her shoulders, Weiss tried to roll it out before the offered hand in her grip, the larger, darker hand easily covering hers.

"Well, then. I'm Weiss Schnee." Then, she smiled back, looking over to Ruby too in a quick glance.

"I'm interested in making music with you."

-

 _ **[Author's Note] For a fic I burped out in, like, two hours, I had a lot of good responses! Apparently people need their daily dose of wub in the RWBYverse? Who knows. But still, for those who asked for an update I have finally done the thing! It takes place roughly four months after chapter one.  
**_ _  
_ _ **The lyrics that are briefly added is Komatic & Technicolour ft. Jayma's 'Stay', which just happened to be the song I was listening to whilst writing that one bit. It's a good song and I recommend it!**_


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